Coinbase Adds Fannie Mae’s Brian Brooks As Chief Legal Officer

Continuing its recent hiring spree, the Coinbase exchange has added Brian Brooks to its legal team as the firm’s chief legal officer. Brooks takes over from Mike Lempres. The addition of Brooks is part of Coinbase’s effort to increase its legal, compliance, and government affairs capabilities.

Lempres will now focus on scaling the government affairs program. This will include Coinbase as a founding member of the Blockchain Association, a non-profit trade association based in Washington DC. The program also includes managing the Coinbase Political Action Committee.

Brooks was most recently the EVP, general counsel and corporate secretary of Fannie Mae, the largest financial institution in the United States. In addition, Brooks also acted as a senior advisor to the chief executive officer of Fannie Mae and its Board of Directors.

Brooks also worked at OneWest Bank, N.A. where he helped sell to CIT Group. At the firm, he was responsible for managing its senior regulatory relationships. Brooks has also worked at O’Melveny & Myers LLP.